The cat sitter

2

A few days later..

"Okay but I was young, I couldn't fully comprehend what the hell cat poop is and that I shouldn't eat it!" He said wheezing.

I couldn't stop laughing at this complete idiot sat across from me. We went to a bar in town to get some drinks and get to know eachother. We may have gotten a little carried away with how much we had to drink.

I was revealing a lot more than I intend to, especially with only knowing him for five days. I just feel comfortable with him, we're very similar people. Apart from the cat poop thing.

"When I was younger I wet the bed. I ran into the living room where my parents were wrapping my birthday presents. I pointed at this stuffed animal and just started screaming at it. It was the most terrifying thing I've ever seen!" I said while laughing.

A loud wheeze came from Dream and I couldn't help but laugh with him.

His laugh was contagious.

More stories from when we were younger escaped our slightly drunken lips. Both of us finding out hilarious information about each other.

By the end of the night we were pretty drunk. It was also very late in the evening, nearing the early morning, the bar had closed and everyone started leaving and hobbling into town.

It was 3:30am when I had finally arrived back home. Dream had walked me here since it was only down the street, our goodbye was laced with a slight hint of awkwardness. We had such a great evening, getting to know each other and we both didn't want it to end.

However, we had only just met, I couldn't exactly ask him to stay.

He engulfed me in a warm hug on my doorstep, holding his strong arms around my shoulders and letting his hand gently rest on the back of my head.

There was hesitation in the way he pulled back from the hug, we both wanted to stay there, wrapped in each others arms. We both knew it was too soon.

I felt sleep engulf me a lot easier tonight. The reminder of him relaxed me. The memory of his warmth lingered around my body.

I smiled and tucked myself under my duvet.

—

i Message
Dream

Hi y/n! I have some information about the job. I could send it over on text but it might be easier if we spoke about it over coffee? The one near the bar is my local, it's really nice in there. Let me know :)

Yes sure! Lets do it. Can you do today?

Yeah I can. 2pm?

See you there :)

That leaves me an hour to get ready. My hair still fell nicely from last night when I curled it.

I wore a semi casual outfit and quickly ate some toast before leaving for my short walk to the coffee shop. I had never been there before but it seemed quaint.

I stepped into the warm cafe, a smell of comforting coffee instantly surrounding me.

I looked around until blue met green and I found him on a corner table slightly hidden away from the shops bustle and noise. A smile formed on my face instantly, without me consciously doing so. I walked over to his table.

"Hey. I got you a drink- uh I don't know.. I kind of guessed your order. Um, if you don't like it I will get you something else I just.. I don't know." He stuttered out, obviously showing nervousness, something I hadn't expected from him.

"Thank you so much! No this - it looks perfect." I said while smiling at the dirty blonde.

We sat in silence before he started the conversation.

"Okay so the job- I have this folder of instructions of sorts; how much to feed her, stuff like that you know? It goes over possible scenarios that have happened before, like her not coming home for the night or when her favourite mouse toy went missing." He looked up to make sure I was paying attention, after seeing me nod he continued. "I'm sorry I've just never left her with someone else before. I don't want her to get all sad and miss me."

"Dream, she liked me didn't she? It's gonna be fine and if there are any problems I will ring you. Stop worrying so much." I placed my hand gently on top of his unsteady ones, delicately caressing his hand in mine.

He glanced up at me and made eye contact, non verbally thanking me for it. He took a deep breath before carrying on,

"I'm sorry, can we- can we go back to mine after this? I just want her to be comfortable with you while I'm here, it'll help me sleep better while I'm away. Oh by the way, I am away from this Friday to next Friday." He quickly scribbled it down on one of the papers in the folder.

"Yeah that's a good idea, I want her to like me. I've been hoping for some cuddles with her while it's just the two of us." I laughed.

—

"Patchesss." Dream said in a sing-song tone.

Patches came trotting out of the living room, stretching as she reached us.

"There you are baby, did you have a good sleep." He said as he picked her up. She nuzzled into his chest.

I giggled at him and took my shoes off, walking over to the couch where I settled on.

Patches squirmed from under Dream's grasp and walked over to the couch where I sat.

"No she did not." Dream said in disbelief.

"Oh yes she did. Oh my god. I can't believe I'm the favourite. Hi sweetie come up here." I said, patting the cushion next to me.

She gracefully hopped up and curled into a ball, purring slightly as I pet her.

"Okay, I'm firing you. That's it get out!" He said while laughing.

I put my hands up in surrender, "Hey you can't blame me. She obviously just loves me more." I said with a smug grin.

Dream walked over to the both of us and sat down, his hand petting patches head delicately. He turned to look at me, smiling when he noticed how I was studying him.

"I'm confident enough that she's going to be okay with you. Thank you for this." He said as if he wasn't basically my boss for the next week.

"Absolutely, I'm going to love it." I replied.